Living Is Christ, Dying Is Gain

My confident hope is that I will in no way be ashamed but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I am to go on living in the body, this will mean productive work for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer: I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, but it is more vital for your sake that I remain in the body. And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress and joy in the faith, so that what you can be proud of may increase because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you (Philippians 1:20-26).

Is the “worst case scenario” really the worst possible case? Paul understood the apprehensions and concerns of the Philippian Christians, and took the opportunity to provide some instruction and exhortation in Christ.

Philippi was a Roman colony in Macedonia (part of modern Greece); Paul first visited the area and preached Jesus around 51 (cf. Acts 16:11-40). Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi most likely around 60-61 from Rome while living under house arrest there (cf. Philippians 1:1). The church had appointed elders and had deacons serving them, and had sent Epaphroditus to provide support and service to Paul (cf. Philippians 1:1, 2:25-30, 4:18). Paul thanked the Philippian Christians for their joint participation in his ministry and prayed for them to abound in love and make good decisions to share in Jesus’ praise at His return (Philippians 1:2-11).

Paul had begun his narratio, according to standard conventions of letter writing in the Greco-Roman world, in Philippians 1:12-19. He would update the Philippian Christians regarding his condition, adroitly addressing their understandable concerns regarding his welfare and the socially shameful condition in which he found himself: the Gospel was actually advancing on account of his house arrest, and the Christians in Rome felt more comfortable speaking of Jesus. Paul remained confident he would find deliverance from his current predicament and appreciated their prayers and support.

Paul concluded his narratio in Philippians 1:20-26. Paul maintained strong hope he would not be ashamed; Christ would be exalted with complete boldness through what happened to Paul whether he lived or died (Philippians 1:20). Then Paul used the language of risk calculus to set forth how he looked at his condition: living is Christ and dying is gain, or profit (Philippians 1:21). Paul felt torn between going to be with Christ, which would be far better, or to remain in the body and prove productive in good work for the Lord (Philippians 1:22-24). Yet he was using the rhetorical technique known as diaporesis, or feigned perplexity: he maintained confidence he would continue to live since it was more vital for the sake of the progress and joy of the Philippian Christians in their faith, and they might have more regarding which to be proud when Paul would come back to them (Philippians 1:24-26).

In this way Paul could address many of the deep apprehensions and concerns of the Philippian Christians without having to mention them explicitly. Paul was a prisoner of the Romans and had appealed to Caesar. While his standing as a Roman citizen would provide him with some benefits, life remained cheap in the world of first century Rome. Paul had every reason to be confident in the accuracy of his claims and the justice of his cause, but how much would that mean before Nero Caesar? The Philippian Christians were acutely aware of this difficulty, and they would have understandably proven very concerned about Paul’s welfare and the prospect of his execution by the Romans.

In Philippians 1:12-26 we can perceive how Paul projected a lot of upbeat confidence regarding his prospects and situation in Rome. Some of it may have involved rhetorical posturing or some positive projection, but most of it was well grounded in what was taking place at the time. But the concern of the Philippian Christians was not entirely invalid: Paul’s situation might turn dire, and quickly. Paul had likely already experienced such a situation as related in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, and in a couple of years would find himself at the end of that particular road, again in Roman custody, as manifest in the whole letter of 2 Timothy.

So it remained possible Paul might be killed by the Roman authorities, however inappropriate or unjust the sentence. Paul did not want the Philippian Christians to consider this to be such a terrible outcome: after all, if he were to be martyred for the cause of Christ, it would mean Paul would go and be with Christ, and that would be far better (Philippians 1:23)! Paul would rather be with Christ: he was not speaking as if suicidal, but honestly reflected on how he personally would be in a better situation with the Lord in heaven or paradise rather than continuing to proclaim Jesus in Roman chains (Philippians 1:22). Therefore, what the Philippian Christians might imagine to be the worst-case scenario for Paul was not bad at all; in fact, it was pure profit for him!

But it can only really be fully “profit” if Paul would really go to “be with Christ.” Philippians 1:21-23 provides strong support for the expectation Christians do not go to some kind of “Hadean” state, or experience what has been called “soul sleep,” immediately after death: instead, Christians go to be with the Lord in heaven, awaiting the day of the resurrection of life, especially in light of Revelation 7:9-17. We hear nothing regarding Christians going to any kind of Hadean realm in any witness from any of the Apostles since the Lord died and was raised from the dead. The idea of “soul sleep,” first and foremost, distorts and warps the concept of death as sleep in the New Testament, which was the way many spoke of the condition of the body which has died and now awaits the resurrection of life (e.g. Acts 7:60, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); secondly, no Apostle in the New Testament spoke of “soul sleep” or gave any credence to it as a possibility. Instead, we do best to share in Paul’s hope: when we die, we go to be with Christ, and it is far better than remaining in the flesh with the travails and tribulations of life.

Paul adroitly negotiated the tension within his explanation: on the one hand, he wanted to assure the Philippian Christians regarding his prospects in a worst-case scenario, but on the other hand, he would not want them thinking he really just wanted to go and be with Christ and not remain in the body doing the work of ministry. No wonder Paul went with diaporesis: he did not want to seem disingenuous, but wanted to assure the Philippian Christians his understanding and expectation in persevering in ministry. He would go and be with the Lord Jesus soon enough; Paul would remain and continue with the Philippian Christians. They would not feel ashamed of Paul; they would have reason to be all the more proud of their joint participation with him in his ministry, and it would redound to the glory of God in Christ.

The Philippian Christians loved Paul and continued to support him in his ministry. We can understand their concerns: Paul was not in a great situation, and they were very concerned for his person, welfare, and honor. Paul understood those concerns, and he expertly addressed them throughout his narratio, both reassuring them and also taking appropriate opportunities to reframe their thinking. Imprisonment normally was shameful and would prove a stumbling block for ministry; yet the Gospel was actually advanced on account of Paul’s house arrest. Being executed by the Romans was normally understood as a pretty bad worst-case scenario; for Paul, however, it meant going to be with Christ, which would be very profitable for him! But the worst-case scenario was most probably not going to happen; instead, Paul would be set free to continue to proclaim Jesus and encourage his fellow Christians, and he looked forward to the opportunity to see the Christians of Philippi again to encourage and be encouraged by them.

We also can draw a lot of encouragement from how Paul viewed his situation. We can easily get so concerned about our physical welfare we forget about our ultimate hope of rest in Jesus, and eventually, the resurrection of life. We would gain more profit being with Christ! Nevertheless, to live is also Christ, to glorify and honor Him in our lives: it remains profitable to remain in the body and serve and work to proclaim the Gospel and encourage our fellow Christians. May we also reckon life as Christ, and dying as profit in Christ, and obtain the resurrection of life in Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry